THE MEDIA BUSINESS: ADVERTISING

THE MEDIA BUSINESS: ADVERTISING; Symbols That Win, or Lose, Consumers' Seal of Approval

By STUART ELLIOTT

Published: September 16, 1992

WHAT'S in a name? Never mind, it's what's in a logo that matters.

According to a survey by the Schechter Group, a New York corporate-identity consultant, consumer attitudes about brands and the companies marketing them are significantly influenced by logo design, color and other components.

The Logo Value survey, conducted in July to measure whether logos enhance or detract from consumer perceptions, seeks to help marketers determine whether their logos are mighty Marlboro men or embarrassing Edsels.

The survey showed that 55 percent of the national brand and company logos exposed to consumers elicited different responses, either better or worse, than the brand and company names alone when presented plain, sans logos. Surprisingly, it found that logos even influenced consumer attitudes about long-established brands and companies like Buick automobiles and Delta Air Lines, as well as newer ones like Nike sneakers and Wendy's fast food.

"I would expect that the unadorned name would essentially communicate the same as the dressed-up name," Alvin S. Schechter, chief executive of the Schechter Group, said in an interview in a midtown Manhattan cafeteria, surrounded by logos emblazoned on beverage cans and bottles, snack-chip bags and candy wrappers.

"Whether I say Lexus, or show you the Lexus flag, it's the same product," he added.

"The bottom line is that the logo does affect the image," he continued, "illogically, perhaps. My reputation shouldn't be based on my tie or the cut of my suit, but appearance and perception do influence image."

Efforts to quantify the influence of logos are becoming increasingly necessary as marketers recognize the important role played in their product-pitching messages by elements other than traditional advertising. The opinions consumers form from product packages, shelf and aisle displays, the decor of retail outlets and restaurants and other nonadvertising venues can be as crucial, if not more so, than what they glean from glitzy television commercials and elaborate print advertisements.

"When it comes to a logo, I think people have felt it's a soft measurement," Mr. Schechter said. "They sense it's outdated, or they sense they need a new look." He added that he hoped the data from his survey, now in its second year, could serve "as diagnostic information that allows companies to make their decisions."

For instance, he noted that according to the survey, Lexus, Toyota's luxury-car line, "has been in the market a very short time, yet its imagery performance is almost as good as Cadillac's," a far older competitor.

In the survey, consumers were shown cards upon which were printed, in plain black type, the names of brands and companies. They were asked to rank them on attributes like trustworthiness and quality. Other groups were shown the full logos, in color, of the same brands and companies and were asked to rank them. The difference in scores between the two is the "image contribution" of the logo design.

Of 24 logos tested in the July survey -- ranging from those of Apple Computer to Mastercard to Wendy's International -- in 17 cases the full logos elicited more positive responses than the names alone. These included Quaker State motor oil, Cadillac, General Mills and Buick.

In six cases, the logos scored less than the names by themselves. Those cases included Mastercard, Burger King, Wendy's and Texas Instruments.

And in one case, Apple Computer, there was no difference between the name-only image and the full-logo image, maybe because, after all, an apple is just an Apple.

More predictably, Mr. Schechter continued, pictorial or character logos were "looked at with more affection than abstract trademarks." For example, among the top-performing packaged-goods logos was Pillsbury's pudgy Doughboy.

Separately, consumers were also shown the logos only, minus the names, to gauge familiarity. The three most recognized: the Apple Computer apple, by 96 percent, followed by the Burger King stylized hamburger bun and the Pillsbury Doughboy, each with 95 percent recognition.